Steel wall, vinyl liner swimming pools are common in both residential and commercial settings. In some such swimming pools, apparatus employing one or more poles or posts, such as for stools, are desired to be permanently installed inside the pool.
However, there are practical limitations for installing such a post in such a swimming pool due to the use of vinyl liners that cover the bottoms of such pools. A hole in the vinyl liner is necessarily created where the post is to be secured to the pool bottom. The creation of a hole in the vinyl liner will likely result in leakage of water between the vinyl liner and the pool bottom surface. In addition, the bottoms of such pools are typically composed of a vermiculite and cement (such as Portland cement) mixture, making it virtually impossible to securely install a post due to the lack of resilience and strength of the mixture. The post and its attachment will not withstand typical pool forces if the post is merely seated within the vermiculite/cement bottom, even if a fixture such as a wall fitting is used.
The anchor arrangement of one or more embodiments of the present invention allows a post, such as that for a stool or other accessory, to be installed securely into a concrete portion of a bottom of a swimming pool, while preventing leakage of water beneath the vinyl lining. One embodiment of the anchor arrangement includes a stabilizing vessel for insertion into a concrete portion of a swimming pool bottom, that is preferably in the shape of a large circular cup and has a circular top rim, and a plurality of concrete sets for insertion into concrete within the stabilizing vessel. A pair of seals, disposed to receive a vinyl liner between them, are attachable to the circular top rim of the stabilizing vessel by use of a top seal ring. A post is installed through and secured by a top deck anchor which is attached to the concrete sets and to which the post is secured by use of one or more fasteners.
Installation of such an anchor arrangement embodiment is not complex and results in a stabilized and secure post installation which prevents leakage between the vinyl liner and the pool bottom.
Other embodiments and features of the invention, and variations thereof, will be apparent upon reading the following specification and claims and inspecting the accompanying drawings.